MISATO

Review

MISATO was founded by Chen Yu-da and his wife Sawaki Misato from Kyushu, Japan. Missing the umegaemochi they had eaten in Kyushu, they moved from Taichung to Lukang. They started as a roadside stall and moved into the current shop in a lane off Wenkai Road in 2020, later opening a second shop on Minquan Road; the team is also converting a nearby old house into a select shop. With white walls and a wooden Japanese-style stall, about a three-minute walk from the Tianhou Temple, it is a popular Japanese snack spot in the old town.

The signature koban cake takes its cue from Kyushu rice cakes: glutinous rice dough wrapped around a filling and baked, then stamped with the lettering and pattern of an Edo-period koban gold coin. Each is about palm-sized. They are baked to order, slightly crisp outside and chewy like mochi inside, with fillings that are not too sweet. Regular flavors are red bean, taro, sesame and matcha red bean; the matcha red bean costs NT$40, with grainy red bean and a light tea aroma. The shop also runs limited flavors with local partners, such as mian cha, and serves uji kintoki shaved ice, sparkling drinks, coffee and genmaicha.

Media and bloggers mostly praise the crisp-outside, chewy-inside texture, the moderate sweetness and the very Japanese storefront. Common caveats: each cake is palm-sized, so you need several to feel full; limited flavors are hit-or-miss; and on holidays the lane gets busy and baking to order means a short wait.

The original Wenkai Road shop opens around 10:30 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays and until 6:30 pm on weekends; the Minquan Road shop keeps its own hours, so check before going. A small seating area beside the stall allows eating in, and the cakes are also easy to take away and eat while walking. The lane is narrow, so drivers should park at a lot near the old street and walk.

It suits anyone wanting a Japanese sweet in Lukang's old town or an afternoon snack after visiting the Tianhou Temple. First-timers can order one red bean and one matcha red bean to compare, and on a hot day add a bowl of uji kintoki shaved ice.